Holiday Reading 2013: Central Asian Titles

Mukhamedov's Bukhara, image courtesy Fleurs de Lettres

As I head down the coast for a summer break, these are the books about Central Asia that I've packed.

En Route pour Samarcande

First up is a charming French book En Route pour Samarcande, published by Fleurs de Lettres, Paris. When this book arrived I flipped through it - now I wish to savour the paintings and text.

Uzbek water colourist Ulughkbek Mukhamedov takes the reader on a journey through the magical Silk Road cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. Each painting is accompanied by excerpts from early European travellers, e.g. Arminius Vámbéry, Alexander Burnes, who visited those places. It is a beautiful, hand-stitched edition on fine-quality paper (Rives Vergé).

If you have already visited Uzbekistan, this is an evocative memory of your visit.  (The book is a very reasonable Euro 25 and the shipping cost a bargain at Euro 2.90. The editor speaks English, so if you are uncertain about ordering in French, just use the website's contact form).

A visit to Ulughkbek Mukhamedov's home studio is now included in Uzbek Journeys tours.

The Orientalist

Tom Reiss' The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life has been in my *must-read* list for some time. Published to rave reviews, this is a biography about the remarkable life of Lev Nussimbaum, author of one of my favourite novels set in Central Asia: Ali and Nino.

Cover: The Orientalist  by Tom Reiss

Written under the name of Kurbin Said and set in cosmopolitan Azerbaijan at the turn of the 20th century, Ali and Nino is ostensibly a love story about a Muslim boy and a Christian. However, it is really the author's homage to a vanished way of life in Baku.

Atlas of Central Asian Artistic Crafts

Earlier this year in Kyrgyzstan I picked up a copy of Atlas of Central Asian Artistic Crafts and Trade, Volume III - Kyrgyzstan. (I bought it at the bookshop in the yurt at Burana Tower). It is a comprehensive review, in English, of  ancient and modern Kyrgyz craft, with a special emphasis on yurts and yurt decorations. The more time I spend in Kyrgyztsan, the more I value the rich heritage of nomadic craft.

The Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan

The Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan 1839 - 1842 is William Dalrymple's history of Britain's great imperial disaster often referred to as the First Afghan War. I like Dalrymple's style: he is perceptive, thorough and readable.  He has drawn on extensive materials from Russian, Urdu and Persian archives as well as previously untranslated Afghan accounts, including the autobiography of the king himself - Shah Shuja. If it is like Dalrymple's other books on India, this will be "un-put-downable".

Turkestan Solo

Cover: Ella Maillart in Kyrgyzstan

Ella Maillart was a trailblazing Swiss adventurer who, in 1932, travelled through Soviet Central Asia. Turkestan Solo recounts how she crossed Kyrgyzstan on horseback as far as the Tian Shan range (the Celestial Mountains ) then, with makeshift skis, she climbed a 5000 metre mountain on the Chinese border. She explored Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara and travelled along the Amu Darya (Oxus river). Later, by camel, she crossed the Kyzyl Kum desert (Red Sand) solo to the east of the Aral Sea.

Readers who have visited  Bukhara's Silk Road Teahouse and Spice Shop may be interested to know that the owner's grandfather met Ms Maillart in Bukhara and she was a guest at his home there.

 

The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years

I wish to re-read Chingiz Aitmatov's brilliant novel, The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years. Set in the the Central Asian steppe during the era of the Soviet space race, it movingly recounts the journey of Yedigei, a Kazakh railway worker, to bury his lifelong friend according to traditional Muslim rituals. 

Miniatures of Central Asia

 
Finally, I have thrown in Miniatures of Central Asia, which I picked up for US$1 at the second-hand booksellers area in Tashkent's Golubie Kupola Park.  Written by the noted art historian and scientist Galina Pugachenkova, I am hoping this slim volume will increase my knowledge of this exquisite form.

New Year Wishes

It has been a great pleasure for me to meet and travel with Uzbek Journeys clients. To those clients and indeed all readers of this website, I wish you a marvellous 2014. I hope it includes travel to interesting places, meetings with kind, hospitable people and moments when you can sip a cup of green tea and reflect on how grand life can be.

Related posts:
Holiday Reading 2014: Central Asian Titles
Holiday Reading 2012: Central Asian Titles
Central Asian Art and Craft Books: Holiday Reading 2011 
Silk Road Media: An Uzbek Entrepreneur in London   (for book orders)
Uzbek Journeys Book List

Uzbekistan's Decorative Architectural Panels #1

Tashkent: Yuri Gagarin and the cosmos

One of the pleasures of exploring Uzbek cities is discovering the splendid decorative panels on residential apartment blocks and government buildings. From time to time I will post images of  my favourites.

Following the devastating 1966 earthquake in Tashkent, a massive reconstruction effort took place. With more than 100,000 people homeless, the USSR dispatched workers from all its republics to build a model city. It took 1,000 days for the new Tashkent to emerge.

The earlier city master plan, already well underway, incorporated administrative buildings, apartment blocks, parks, cultural and sporting complexes fusing traditional Central Asian design elements and architectural practices for a modern, industrialising city.  This plan was adapted to factor in seismic-safe construction practices.

Many high-rise buildings were richly and elegantly decorated in mosaics depicting Uzbek themes, heroic workers, floral and geometric patterns. Some panels could be identified by the construction workers who built a specific apartment block, e.g. Ukrainian symbols. Highly-skilled artists were commissioned to design the panels and the cityscape of Tashkent became notable for these marvellous works.

These panels are not just found in Tashkent. There are gems in Ferghana Valley towns, as well as Samarkand, Khiva, Nukus and Termez.

Ferghana Valley: glorifying workers, learning and cotton!

Some visitors to Uzbekistan ignore these panels and focus solely on the bland architectural style of the Soviet blocks. I believe that these mosaics form part of the rich, social history of the country. (I am also alarmed that some buildings with splendid mosaics have been demolished).

My hope is that an Uzbek photographer will document the panels before it is too late. It would be a perfect subject for a coffee table book, complete with stories of the artists who produced them, some of whom are still living in Tashkent today. Many of the artists also composed the stunning panels that decorate the stations of Tashkent's metro.

The website My Tashkent had a recent article on this topic featuring the work of the Zharskie brothers who created many panels. It is in Russian, but well worth a look at the stunning photographs. The red-bandana Young Pioneers is a classic.

Nukus: Apartment facade near Savitsky Museum

If you have a little spare time in Tashkent you can easily enjoy a day roaming around discovering these artworks.

Related posts:
Uzbekistan's Decorative Architectural Panels #2
Turkmenistan: Tracking Down Mosaics 
Tashkent's Soviet Buildings
Bishkek's Mosaics: Fragmented Dream Project
Kyrgyzstan: Monumental Art in the Provinces 
Seismic Modernism - Architecture and Housing in Soviet Tashkent

Kyrgyzstan: Jety-Oguz and One-of-a-Kind Health Resort

Lilya Kas'yanova

Lilya Kas'yanova, one of Kyrgyzstan's finest guides, is passionate about the history, art and craft of her country. A graduate in Linguistics and Intercultural Communications from I. Arabaev Kyrgyz State University, she is also a keen photographer and hiker. Lilya, who regularly leads Uzbek Journeys tours in Kyrgyzstan, will contribute occasional articles about her areas of interest.

 

Jety-Oguz - The Seven Bulls

“Jety-Oguz” in the Kyrgyz language means “Seven Bulls”. The name derives from its majestic yellow-red sandstone and gravel stone rocks, which bear a strong resemblance to bulls’ heads. These remarkable rocks, set against the background of bright blue sky, dazzling white snow-capped summits and slopes adorned by coniferous woodlands leave an unforgettable impression.

Jety-Oguz village is situated about 28 kms southwest of Karakol town. The wide valley of the Jety-Oguz river starts just behind the village. Gradually, the valley becomes narrow and 15 kms to the south of the village, it turns into a mountain canyon. From both sides the river is framed by sheer walls of red sandstone. The rock “Broken Heart”, which dominates the left bank of the river, is exceptionally stunning.

Broken Heart rock, image: Lilya Kas'yanova

There is a beautiful legend about how the Seven Bulls rocks derive their name. Once upon a time two mighty khans established their headquarters at the foothills of Terskey Ala-Too mountain range. One of the khans had a well-graced wife: her beauty was compared to the beauty of the moon. The other khan, who was cruel and jealous, kidnapped this beautiful woman.

This evil deed led to confrontations and wars between the clans. The khan, whose wife had been kidnapped, demanded her return. The cruel khan’s advisers proposed that: “You can fulfill your foe’s condition. But you shall kill the beauty first and pass her dead body to your opponent. The requirement will be met, and you will be greatly pleased, as your enemy will never be able to reign over the heart of his beloved.” 

This advice greatly appealed to the cruel khan. He decided to hold a grand gala and invited many people from different clans. As befitted a gala, the khan ordered seven bulls be slaughtered. When the last bull was slaughtered, he plunged a dagger into the heart of the beauty. Blood spurted from her heart and sprinkled the rocks (that is why the rocks of the locality are red). At that very moment streams of boiling water flooded the valley where the scene took place. The cruel khan and his entourage were drowned in the boiling water. The streams carried aside the seven slaughtered bulls and they turned into seven blood-red rocks. Thenceforth, the locality has been called Jety-Oguz (Seven Bulls).

View of Seven Bulls, image: Lilya Kas'yanova

An extraordinarily picturesque valley stretches behind Broken Heart rock. The western part of this valley is almost entirely occupied by a health resort, developed in Soviet times. (see below) From the opposite side, the resort is embraced by a conifer forest, which covers the northern slope of the Kok-Bel’ Ridge.

The area offers great opportunities for exploring. Visitors can hike to the Ak-Sai area. To reach Ak-Sai, walk through the ravine that starts immediately behind the sanatorium. Closer to its end, the ravine gives way to the pretty valley of Kok Jayik (Valley of the Flowers), which is splashed with motley flowers in spring. Holidaymakers also call this place Kumys Valley, named after the Kyrgyz national drink made from fermented mare’s milk.

The valley also holds an attraction for mushroom gatherers: here are glades of edible fungus. The opposite bank of the river is bordered with woodlands that nestle on the sides of the slopes, above which the snow-capped giants of the Terskey Range tower. In the middle of the valley, a majestic mountain can be observed; it is called Oguz Bashi (Bull’s Head). This mountain has two summits, the highest point of which is 5170 metres. In its upper part, an impregnable rock wall blocks the valley.

Jety-Oguz Health Resort

The sanatorium (health resort) is located at the northern slope of the Terskey Ala-Too range 2200 meters above sea level.

Small hollows around “holy” springs are evidence of the therapeutic usage of hot, mineral waters for bathing from time immemorial. Russians conducted the first surveys of the hot springs in 1910. The same year, at the initiative of the Red Cross, wooden bathtubs and a simple wood-framed hygienic centre were built there. Mostly military officials and local men of high standing used these rustic facilities.

Valley of the Flowers, image courtesy Natasha von Geldern

The development of the sanatorium started in 1937, when the Kyrgyz health resort administrative department was formed. The mineral waters of Jety-Oguz spa are a unique combination of mineralization, radon content and chemical composition. They are used for balneotherapy, therapeutic irrigation (lavage) and therapeutic drinking treatments to treat a diverse range of illnesses.  Mud treatments are also available. Guests generally stay between 10 and 20 days for a full curative treatment. (Note - it is not possible to visit the sanatorium for a "day spa").

Jety-Oguz' mountain location, dominated by conifer forests, makes it very special. The area is relatively windless with insignificant fluctuations in temperatures and air humidity. The forest also has a positive effect on the body’s nervous system.

The resort was famous in Soviet times and continues to attract guests from Russia, Central Asia and beyond. In 1991, an important meeting between Boris Yeltsin and Kyrgyzstan’s first president Askar Akayev took place in Jety-Oguz resort.

Jety-Oguz offers a variety of alternatives not only for ardent admirers of nature, but also for hikers and mountaineers. On an Uzbek Journeys tour to Kyrgyzstan you visit Jetz-Oguz, enjoy a picnic lunch and a chance for hiking in the Valley of the Flowers.

Contact Lilya on: lolya.87(at) mail (dot) ru
Read all Lilya's articles. 

Related posts:

5 Reasons to Visit Kyrgyzstan 
6 Quirky Things About Kyrgyzstan 
Karakol: A Frontier Town in Kyrgyzstan
Holidays in Soviet Sanatoriums  

Hidden Treasures from the National Museum of Afghanistan

Dr Jean Mulder

Dr Jean Mulder, who travelled with Uzbek Journeys in 2012 and is returning to Central Asia in 2014, is a senior lecturer in the School of Languages and Linguistics at the University of Melbourne.

Nearly 230 artefacts from the National Museum in Kabul, Afghanistan, are currently touring Australia. The archaeological treasures that make up this grand exhibit beautifully display ancient Afghanistan’s role as a key player in the exchange of goods and ideas along the trade routes of the Silk Road. Equally intriguing are the modern-day stories that are told of the artefacts’ discovery, excavation, and heroic rescue.

The exhibit covers four archaeological sites. The oldest is Tepe Fullol, a Bronze Age oasis that was in full swing a long time before the Silk Road trade began. Large irrigation systems enabled oasis people such as those of Tepe Fullol to crop the northern Afghanistan desert plains, build fortified settlements and pursue artistic craftsmanship.

Dragon master pendant 1st century AD

On display are gold bowl fragments, dating back 4,000 years, which are decorated both with local motifs and designs from the distant cultures of the Middle East suggesting that even the people of this era were involved in long distance trade.

The former Greek city Aï Khanum, the second site covered in the exhibit, is also in the region of northern Afghanistan which is known to the West as Bactria.

Different cases bring to life various parts of the city, with the bronze, ivory and stone sculptures not only telling us about the legacy of Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Persian Empire (334-323 B.C.), but also about the melding of local and other Asian ideas, products and culture in this far-flung outreach of the Greek empire. Regretfully, Aï Khanum, which was abandoned around 130 BC., is the only true Greco-Bactrian settlement that has ever been excavated.

The greatest archaeological treasures found in Afghanistan, if not in all of Central Asia, are from the third and fourth sites, Begram and Tillya Tepe. And they are truly breathtaking.

But just as enthralling are the stories around these riches.  Sometime in the first century A.D., in a fertile valley to the south of the massive Hindu Kush mountains, at the confluence of ancient and modern Silk Road trade routes connecting Afghanistan to Pakistan, for some unknown reason someone in Begram bricked shut two storerooms filled with luxury goods. There they remained, abandoned, until nearly 80 years ago when archaeologists unearthed the two sealed rooms with their undisturbed array of glassware, bronzes, alabaster objects from the Roman world, fragments of Chinese lacquer boxes and bowls, and Indian-style reliefs carved in ivory and bone. (One can only imagine the celebrating that night.)

Plate depicting Cybele pulling lions, 2nd century BC

The experts are still debating whether goods in these two rooms are a royal treasure hoard or a merchant trader’s stock. In either event they give us an excellent view of the range and richness of the commodities being traded along the Silk Road at its height. 

In some ways, though, the real highlight of the exhibit is the exquisite collection of gold artefacts from the famed ‘Bactrian Hoard’ – objects from the 2,000 year old graves of six Bactrian nomads discovered at Tillya Tepe ‘Hill of Gold’ in northern Afghanistan in 1978 but hidden from view until 2003.

The objects themselves range from a crown that was collapsible, with five removable trees of life that could be attached to the golden band, to other jewellery, clasps, appliqués, hair ornaments, belts and bejewelled swords, daggers and sheaths. Included in this sumptuousness are shoe soles cut from thin gold sheet. Clearly they were not to be used for walking. (Like some neighbouring cultural regions, they were actually a sign of an aristocratic way of life.)

Collapsible gold crown, Tilya Tepe, 1st century AD

While the displays show the metamorphosis of Silk Road art into a unique, highly refined style with workmanship of exceptional quality, what is as remarkable is the story of the Afghan heroes who risked their lives to hide and protect these and other ancient treasures of Afghanistan’s past.

I had the good fortunate to see this exhibit just before it finished in Melbourne. It not only left me very nostalgic for my trip to Uzbekistan, arranged by Uzbek Journeys, but it also gave me a greater understanding of the historical timelines  and cultural significance of places and events that I learned about during my recent initiation to Central Asia.

If you are travelling to Central Asia, whether for the first or the umpteenth time, or are interested in the cultural heritage of this region, the exhibit is a must-see. The catalogue is highly recommended.

The remaining Australian exhibition dates are:

Queensland Museum: 5 September 2013 – 27 January 2014
Art Gallery of New South Wales:  6 March – 1 June 2014
Western Australian Museum:  5 July – 16 November 2014

Glass flask in the shape of a fish, 1st century AD

Related posts:
Afghan Art - Tradition & Continuity at the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha

Alexander the Great's March from St Petersburgh to Sydney 

Image source: All images by Thierry Olivier, Musée Guimet, Paris